Reviews VideoGame / God Eater Burst

By far the best blatant Monster Hunter clone I've played.

As an informal acquaintance turned self-proclaimed die hard veteran of Monster Hunter, it's an easy guess that this game caught my eye when I learned what type of RPG it was.

Game play is relatively accessible, with an enjoyable hack-and-slash approach that's arguably a bit faster than the likes of MH. Unfortunately, it comes at the expense of variety—there are essentially only three gameplay styles in melee combat, with the convenience of switching to ranged combat, where the game's unique bullet customization comes into play. The challenge factor is barely existent in single player. These games tend to come inherently challenging, and accordingly rewarding, but nothing is QUITE beyond the reach of a decent universal set-up for your character. The use of a party in single player with full-on characters is certainly a convenience both on its own merits and compared to the Felynes or Shakalakas.

The game's story set-up is simple enough. It can be described as a similar approach to the likes of Attack on Titan (only I actually found this game interesting). Characters are hit or miss. Among a few relatively worthless peripheral characters made to fill party slots, your main squad is your full crew. Lindow and Sakuya are likable down-to-earth mentors who above all, intend to keep their team alive. Soma is Sasuke Uchiha with daddy issues and a self-loathing complex instead of brother issues, pretty much my least favorite. Alisa ultimately ends up with woobie vibes who's backstory isn't hard to assume, but easy to feel for considering the number it did on her. Kota's an upbeat if slightly annoying lancer to the main protagonist who outgrows that status once the characters start to flesh themselves out. It's not until the last third that you as the protagonist truly take the FULL central role.

One of my favorite aspects of this game's presentation is the soundtrack. As usual, Go Shiina delivers in SPADES. It's easily one thing it has on equal terms with Monster Hunter. "Dio Volente", and "Endless Voracity" are some of his best works I've ever heard, and easily worthy of final boss music for any game with a similar tone.

Overall, while the game comes up short against MH in terms of technical depth and variety, it does more than enough to stand on its own as a game that compliments the genre. I still hope the sequel gets localized.